“Leave aside who he is angry at” - Former India opener’s huge statement on Virat Kohli after IND vs SA 2025 ODIs

Former India opening batter Sadagopan Ramesh has made a massive remark on Virat Kohli after his top-class performances during the recent ODI series against South Africa. Ramesh stated that who the star cricketer is angry at is a moot point but claimed to love this version of the veteran.

The 37-year-old earned the Player of the Series award for his 302 runs in three innings at 151, headlined by scores of 135, 102 and 65* in the series. With 53 ODI centuries under the star batter's belt, any future cricketer is unlikely to break the tally for a long time.

Speaking in a video uploaded on Instagram, Ramesh reflected on India's ODI series victory by claiming that Kohli showed the youngsters how to bat in the forthcoming T20I series. Singling out the right-hander's no-look shot in the third ODI in Vizag, he stated:

"Virat Kohli now looks as a ruthless player. Even though he retired from T20I cricket, he showed the youngsters how to bat in the upcoming T20I series. His best version is when he is angry. Leave aside who he is angry at but the angry young man version of Kohli is at a different level. The no-look six – he barely looked at the ball – and then stared at the bowler for a second. The way Virat and Rohit Sharma batted, they are not only answering the bowlers but also answering those questioning them. In the last two ODI series, Rohit Sharma and Kohli have won the Player of the series awards. Simply unstoppable."

The 50-year-old also heaped praise on Rohit Sharma, observing that he now possesses the fitness level to bat throughout the innings.

"If you look at Rohit Sharma, he used to score centuries for fun and became an extraordinary ODI player. In 2023, Rohit used to score fast in the powerplay and usually got out for 30-40 runs. Now he is willing to bat the entire 50 overs and has regained fitness to the level of scoring big hundreds. He is batting at a different level," said Ramesh.

Rohit, who has also retired from Test and T20I cricket, finished the series against South Africa with 146 fifties, laced with two fifties.

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Sadagoppan Ramesh confident Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play in 2027 World Cup

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have formed several memorable partnerships. (Credits: Getty)

Ramesh continued stating that the batting duo have dispelled any doubts the selectors have over their willingness to play for India in the 2027 World Cup. He elaborated:

"Questions surrounded over whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will board the bus for the 2027 World Cup. Selectors said let them get on the footboard and if they are fit and performing, we’ll talk about booking their seats in the bus. Well, they have purchased the bus itself. Now it’s up to the selectors to decide whether they can get inside their bus or will hang on the footboard."

The two batting titans will next be in action during the ODI series against New Zealand, beginning on January 11.